Immigrant-Led Organizations (ILO) Fund Grant

Immigrant-Led Organizations (ILO) Fund Grant is sponsored by Maine Community Foundation. The Immigrant-Led Organizations (ILO) Fund offers support to immigrant-led organizations in Maine, promoting the flourishing of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Recipients will engage in peer learning and capacity-building activities.

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Immigrant-Led Organizations Fund Immigrant-Led Organizations Fund 2026 ILO Funding Opportunity Announcement 2026 ILO Reader Opportunity Announcement Immigrant-Led Organizations (ILO) Fund The Immigrant-Led Organizations (ILO) Fund is a participatory grantmaking program that funds, strengthens, and convenes the ecosystem of nonprofit, community-based organizations led by and serving Maine’s immigrants, refugees, asylees, migrant farm workers, and those who are undocumented.

The ILO Fund seeks to organize people and resources in support of efforts across the state that intervene on persistent issues experienced by immigrants of color: xenophobia, racialized discrimination, and insufficient support from municipal and state governments. For a three-year period, beginning in 2024, the ILO Fund has committed to providing $1.

35 million in multi-year, unrestricted, general operating support to immigrant-led organizations.

Congolese Community of Maine Maine Access Immigrant Network Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition New Mainers Public Health Initiative Sustainable Livelihoods Relief Organization Young Muslim Sisters of Greater Portland Early Math and Language Initiative Empowered Immigrant Women Unite Gateway Community Services Maine Intercultural Community Center Ladder to the Moon Network New Roots Cooperative Farm United Youth Empowerment Services Capital Area New Mainers Project Community Organizing Alliance Maine Association for New Americans Maine Community Integration New England Arab American Organization Somali Bantu Community Association The work of the Immigrant-Led Organizations (ILO) Fund is rooted in a vision of immigrant flourishing in Maine and seeks to ask and answer these questions, in community: What does it mean for Maine to be welcoming to new Mainers?

What does immigrant flourishing require? How can we support the dynamic and diverse ecosystem of immigrant leaders and immigrant-led organizations that are doing that work?

The ILO Fund answers these questions by: Providing unrestricted, multi-year grant support to immigrant-led and immigrant-serving organizations; Each year, the ILO Fund provides approximately $500,000 in multi-year, unrestricted grants to a new cohort of immigrant-led and immigrant-serving organizations. Since 2018, the ILO Fund has made more than $2M in grants to over 40 ILOs.

Centering and prioritizing immigrant visions, voices, and leadership in all aspects of this program; This includes in the grantmaking process, the internal staffing of the ILO program, the Community-Led Needs Assessment, and the Immigrant-Led Community Advisory Committee. Highlighting and celebrating the diversity of work being led by ILOs across Maine. Learn more about our ILO grantees.

Strengthening and deepening the ties and connections among and between immigrant communities, leaders, and organizations; Learn about our cohort approach . Engaging and connecting the broader community to these organizations, building relationships that can sustain their work moving forward. Learn more about how you can get involved.

Additional efforts within the Immigrant-Led Organizations Program include Community-Led Needs Assessment, a Technical Assistance Program and a Resource Hub. Grant Amount & Funding Levels The organizations selected for the ILO Fund will receive unrestricted, general operating grants of $45,000 paid out over three (3) years, $15,000 per year.

In addition, these organizations are invited to participate in a series of peer learning, training, capacity-building, and community outreach activities over the course of their 3-year grant period.

To be eligible for the 2026 Immigrant-Led Organizations Fund, applicant organizations are: Working exclusively or primarily in Maine Programming primarily serves and supports immigrant communities An immigrant-led organization, group, or coalition To establish immigrant-led status, organizational applicants are required to meet at least two out of three of the following for at least the past two years: Immigrant key staff leaders of the organization - 50% of board and staff are reflective of the community Immigrant members on Board of Directors - 50% or more in governing decision-making roles Immigrant activists - 50% or more of on the ground, community interfacing staff/volunteers Applications to the 2026 ILO Fund closed on February 22, 2026.

Grant awards will be announced in June 2026. Please contact ilofund@maineinitiatives. org with any questions.

See all of our ILO grantees site by: Polychrome Collective & SlickFish Studios